Indoor/outdoor?

meritaten

I understand that P1 - but, if letting your pet out to 'roam' means you are putting them 'at risk', you have to weigh those up.
If I let Barney out, as a former 'housecat', he would be at risk from roaming dogs (he likes dogs), he is a Persian pedigree so would be at risk of being stolen, and he is just too dam friendly! at night he would be at risk from foxes too - there are fox families around here.

Person_one

meritaten wrote: »

I understand that P1 - but, if letting your pet out to 'roam' means you are putting them 'at risk', you have to weigh those up.
If I let Barney out, as a former 'housecat', he would be at risk from roaming dogs (he likes dogs), he is a Persian pedigree so would be at risk of being stolen, and he is just too dam friendly! at night he would be at risk from foxes too - there are fox families around here.

You're going to take him out on a harness though aren't you? So he won't spend the rest of his life without going outside, although its a shame he'll probably never be able to run at full speed, or climb trees etc.

I don't think foxes are a big risk to cats by the way, especially not a big healthy Persian, foxes aren't that stupid!

smokey_dave

People who let their cats out are NOT irresponsible. It is well known that the most suitable environment for a cat is one that involves a mixture of indoor and outdoor living. We got our cat from Cat Protection. She had been a stray and was found with a hook in one of her rear legs. She had to have the leg amputated.

She settled in with us quite quickly and manages very well on her 3 legs.
She was microchipped and after a month we let her out. She spends quite a lot of the daylight hours outside and is a keen hunter. She specializes in voles. We would not have a cat if it had to stay in all the time. She is also a lap cat and we love her to bits.

Slinky

I've just been through the 'letting the cat out for the first time' issues this week. He started going out Sunday, has had some issues with a couple of other local cats, but now I'm very relaxed about him coming and going. He's not properly used to the cat flap at the moment (it's held open with a peg during the day) but we're hoping to teach him how to use it properly at the weekend. He's going in and out through it of his own accord during daylight hours.

Yes it was stressful (for me) letting him out for the first couple of days, and I spent a lot of time outside calling him. But I know it's the right thing for him to be able to lead a more natural life than being stuck indoors with me all day.

ryecatcher_2

I grew up on a farm and the thought of keeping pets indoors, forever, is very odd to me. I understand that some older cats are quite happy to stay indoors in the warm but it really surprises me that any younger cat would choose to never leave the house. It just seems so boring to me.

My two cats are allowed out in the daytime, shut in overnight and they don't seem to travel far anyway. They roam around the local gardens they're familiar with. Sniff things and then come home happy.

We're about to move house and we'll keep them in for two weeks so they get familiar with the new place/it smells of them and then we'll let them out to explore. I love them like family, and I know I'll be a wreck when they first go out but it isn't about my feelings it's about their quality of life.

oliveoil99

I already had a outdoor tom that I had taken in as a stray he used to tell me when he wanted to go out and come in. Then we had a female stray living under the shed in time came in and made herself at home. I assumed she was an outdoor cat but when I put her out she never moved from the spot I had put her and just used to fly back in, wasn't happy about getting a litter tray but she went right to it and used it and became an indoor-cat which maybe she already had been as she was getting on a bit when she found us. She was a very sickly cat and died 3yrs later with liver problems, I used to feel sorry for her not going out as my other cat did, my other cat died last year age 16yrs what a character he was he would literally throw himself at people for a stroke I used to look out my window and always see some stranger making friends with him, I miss my cats so much but no more for me.

tea_lover

Thanks for all the replies, always good to see some different points of view

I've been trying to encourage him out a bit but he really doesn't seem keen, had to carry him outside last night lol. He lasted about 30 seconds then went back in.

Maybe he's more of a summer cat!

I'll certainly give him the option of outside (although that may end up being supervised when one of us is out there... still thinking about that one) but he really doesn't seem fussed.

ryecatcher_2

tea lover, mine are very fair weather too. On a gloomy day like this they will go out but don't stay out that long. If there are humans available doing anything at all there's a good chance they'll find that more interesting than the outdoors. Oh and forget it if there's rain or snow. They'll just clamp themselves to the nearest radiator/person.

Basically keep offering, leave the door open for a bit maybe, but don't force the cat out. My fella was originally a stray that came in from the cold and once adopted he rarely left the house for the first month. I think he was scared he'd lose his forever home if he did.

gingin_2

Mine used to be indoor cats but we have been letting them outside for the past 5-6 months. Mine love it. They are pedigrees and I live in a very central area with a lot of foot traffic but few cars so I know they are safer than the average moggy in terms of car danger but they are very friendly and very pretty and do get a lot of attention, to the point where one woman picked one up so her friend could take a picture of her with her the other day. I have no cat flap but mine are very vocal and meow at the front door when they want to be let in and thankfully greediness means they come when they are called.

Despite being frontlined mine have picked up fleas and that has been the only downside, mine are so furry that the fleas seem to have sat in the bottom half of their body away from where we applied the frontline and we have struggled to get rid, they've picked up earmites too, having never had anything like this before it's been unpleasant.

Slinky

Gingin you might want to try something other than Frontline, it's become a lot less effective over the years.